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Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5)3

Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5) Test

As a self-report questionnaire, the Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5) Test takes about seven minutes and contains 36 questions. It explores how you form commitments, process information, respond to expectations, and approach decisions. Your result can highlight personal patterns and support reflection on values, goals, and future choices.

Questions: 367 minutes

Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5): situation and reply bubbles

September 1, 2026September 1, 2026Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

CommitmentC

Commitment measures how clearly defined and stable your core values, beliefs, and life-direction commitments are.

example score3/5

3/5High commitmentexample score

1 – 1.52Low commitment

1.53 – 2.84Moderate commitment

2.85 – 5High commitment

A score of 3 falls in the High commitment range, suggesting relatively stable and clearly held commitments that support a defined sense of identity.

Diffuse-Avoidant StyleDAS

Measures the tendency to avoid or delay identity-related decisions and rely on situational demands rather than stable self-directed commitments.

example score3/5

3/5Highexample score

1 – 1.52Low

1.53 – 2.84Moderate

2.85 – 5High

A score of 3 falls in the High range, suggesting you more often postpone decisions and let circumstances guide choices rather than following a consistent self-defined direction.

Normative StyleNS

Measures the extent to which a person adopts and maintains goals, values, and standards from important people or groups, preferring stability over uncertainty.

example score3/5

3/5Moderate normativeexample score

1 – 2.13Low normative

2.14 – 3.39Moderate normative

3.4 – 5High normative

A score of 3 indicates a moderate tendency to rely on established expectations and maintain current self-views while still showing some flexibility when circumstances change.

Informational StyleIS

Measures the extent to which a person actively seeks and critically evaluates self-relevant information to guide identity decisions.

example score3/5

3/5Lowexample score

1 – 3.06Low

3.07 – 4.24Moderate

4.25 – 5High

A score of 3 indicates a generally lower tendency to use an informational approach, suggesting less consistent self-reflection and active feedback-seeking when forming identity-related views.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Students exploring identity

41%OF USERS

Often taken by teens and young adults who want to understand how they form beliefs, make choices, and commit to goals during key life transitions.

Adults in life transitions

34%OF USERS

Common among people facing career, relationship, or values shifts who want clarity on their decision-making style and sense of self.

Counselors and educators

25%OF USERS

Used by psychologists, coaches, and school staff to quickly map a client’s identity style and tailor guidance or support.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

CommitmentC

You?

Average3.7

Typical rangeTypical3.2 – 4.3

Possible1 – 5

Diffuse-Avoidant StyleDS

You?

Average3.2

Typical rangeTypical2.6 – 3.8

Possible1 – 5

Normative styleNs

You?

Average2.9

Typical rangeTypical2.4 – 3.5

Possible1 – 5

Informational styleIs

You?

Average3.5

Typical rangeTypical2.8 – 4.1

Possible1 – 5

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

You will be presented with a series of statements about beliefs, attitudes, and/or ways of solving problems. Please read each statement carefully and indicate how well it describes you. Select the response option that best applies to you. There are no right or wrong answers.

- Not at all like me
- Mostly not like me
- Somewhere in between
- Mostly like me
- Describes me very well
- Not at all like me
- Somewhat unlike me
- Neither like nor unlike me
- Somewhat like me
- Describes me very accurately
- Not at all like me
- Mostly not like me
- Somewhere in between
- Mostly like me
- Describes me very accurately

These are 3 of the 36 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5) Test - Description and methodology of the test

identity

identity status

For people reflecting on how they define themselves, make important choices, or respond to inherited expectations, the Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5) Test offers a structured snapshot of identity processing. It is useful when you want language for patterns in values, goals, self-reflection, and decision-making. This identity processing style test can show how strongly separate patterns appear in your profile rather than assigning one overall identity type.

What This Assessment Explores

It examines identity processing. It links values, goals, expectations, and decisions to self-definition. The identity style questionnaire covers four dimensions:

Commitment (1-5) shows clarity and stability of values, beliefs, and attitudes; Low commitment 1-1.52, Moderate commitment 1.53-2.84, High commitment 2.85-5.
Diffuse-Avoidant Style (1-5) assesses decision-making avoidance and situation-led behavior, alongside an external locus of control, limited self-control, and identity instability; Low 1-1.52, Moderate 1.53-2.84, High 2.85-5.
Normative Style (1-5) assesses adopting significant others’ standards, conscientiousness, discipline, and limited tolerance for uncertainty; Low normative 1-2.13, Moderate normative 2.14-3.39, High normative 3.4-5.
Informational Style (1-5) assesses self-reflection, feedback, open-mindedness, and personal efficacy; Low 1-3.06, Moderate 3.07-4.24, High 4.25-5.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

The representative items in this identity processing questionnaire are first-person statements about beliefs, future direction, problems, values, or decisions. Choose one of five ordered responses, from not at all like me to describes me very well, based on how well the statement fits you.

Responses produce separate dimensional scores, not one total identity score. Higher scores indicate more of the tendency named by a scale. Displayed bands organize results into low, moderate, or high levels, but the questionnaire does not state an item-by-item scoring formula; points should not be inferred from ranges.

Conceptually, the questionnaire is consistent with the ISI-5, associated with Berzonsky and colleagues, and Berzonsky’s social-cognitive account of identity processing. The 2013 study reported factor, reliability, and validity evidence for the instrument, while Bosch and Card’s meta-analysis examined relationships among styles and commitment. This evidence does not establish standardization or validation for the online implementation.

Self-report results can reflect current circumstances, self-awareness, and impression management. Read the profile as a reflection prompt, not a diagnosis or stand-alone clinical conclusion, alongside context.

Literature:

Berzonsky, Michael D., Bart Soenens, Koen Luyckx, Ilse Smits, Dennis R. Papini, and Luc Goossens. "Development and validation of the revised Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5): Factor structure, reliability, and validity." Psychological Assessment 25, no. 3 (2013): 893-904. 10.1037/a0032642
Berzonsky, Michael D. "Identity Style: Conceptualization and Measurement." Journal of Adolescent Research 4, no. 3 (1989): 267-281. 10.1177/074355488943002
Bosch, Leslie A., and Noel A. Card. "A meta-analytic review of Berzonsky's Identity Style Inventory (ISI)." Journal of Adolescence 35, no. 2 (2012): 333-343. 10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.08.007

Updated: 2026-09-01